Related people: Prof. Patrick Lonergan.

This paper explores the relationship between theatre and social media. It shows that social media resources like Facebook and Twitter can be seen as a performance space - like a theatrical stage - in which people "perform" versions of themselves to the outside world. This gives rise to a question: if social media is _like_ theatre, what is the impact of social media _on_ theatre? I consider how authors are developing - and changing - their reputation by engaging with audiences on Twitter. And I discuss how major theatre companies such as the Abbey Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company are using social media to interact in new ways with audiences. The paper concludes by considering some of the long-term consequences of these developments.

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